Illuminate retired to join growing broodmare band

A mating with "the best" awaits Group 2-winning filly Illuminate after retirement to join her owner Prince Faisal Salman's Denford Stud in Hungerford this week.

Bred by Epona Bloodstock, Illuminate is out of the unraced Green Desert mare Queen Of Stars and was purchased by Peter and Ross Doyle from the 2014 Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale for £95,000.

She won her first three starts, including success in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes during Newmarket's July Festival, before going down by just half a length to Lumiere in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.

Denford Stud farm manager Richard Evans expanded on the decision to call time on Illuminate's racing career.

“Illuminate will join the broodmare band at Denford Stud,” he said. “She struggled with unsuitable ground for the early part of this season but still put up a very good performance in the Commonwealth Cup. With the ground more in her favour at Newbury she failed to reproduce her two-year-old form and the decision was made to retire her.”

While a career in the paddocks beckons for Illuminate, Evans said that a decision had yet to be made over which stallion she would visit next breeding season.

“Mating plans have yet to be finalised, but she is a very attractive, fast filly with a good temperament and she deserves the best," he added.

Shedding new light on a familiar family

Illuminate will be a welcome addition at the stud, which was dealt a blow last year when its foundation mare Last Second passed away at the age of 22.

The daughter of Alzao, who was trained by Sir Mark Prescott to success in the Nassau Stakes and Sun Chariot Stakes, was out of the legendary broodmare Alruccaba, and achieved blue hen status through her Listed-wining daughter Approach and, most notably, Group and Grade 1 winner Aussie Rules.

However, Last Second's legacy is in good hands at Denford, with four of her daughters and one of her granddaughters among the stud's mares. The eldest of Last Second's progeny at the Berkshire stud is the aforementioned Approach, a Darshaan mare who has produced Group 2 winner and St Leger runner-up Midas Touch, and who currently has a Australia filly foal at foot.

Then comes Approach's two-year younger sister Intrigued, who produced Michelangelo, another son of Galileo who went on to reach the frame in the St Leger, and who delivered a Kingman colt foal earlier this year.

Fork Lightning, a winning daughter of Storm Cat, produced her third foal earlier this year in the shape of a Galileo filly, and Last Second's 11th produce, the unraced Pivotal mare Timely, whose first produce, a Dark Angel colt, arrived earlier this year.

The granddaughter of Last Second in residence at Denford is Blue Chip, a winning daughter of Galileo who was covered for the first time this year by Haras de Bonneval resident Siyouni.

Other notable residents include Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes winner and Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Rimth, who has a colt foal by Iffraaj at foot, and her dam Dorelia, who has a filly foal by Oasis Dream.

Misk, a Listed-placed daughter of Linamix, has a Lope De Vega colt foal at foot, while French 2,000 Guineas winner Make Believe has just completed his first breeding season, and one of the mares from Denford, Highest - a daughter of Dynaformer, was covered by the son of Makfi at Ballylinch Stud.

Evans also had news on a couple of the owner’s fillies who are due to join Illuminate at Denford once their racing careers have come to a close. “Three of Denford Stud's fillies, including Illuminate, have gained black type and will join the broodmare band to offer some exciting new blood lines. Joining Illuminate will be California, who is in training with John Gosden and Magnolea who is under the care of Jean-Claude Rouget.”

With an exciting cover sure to be in the offing for Illuminate, it would be no surprise if she goes on to light up the Denford broodmare ranks in much the same way she did the track during her racing career.